Hopefully you know the feeling of having an orgasm so intense you think you might never walk again.

You know the type – the ones where you just have to lie quietly staring at the ceiling recovering for a few minutes, or even sleep it off.

But apparently there’s a chance that an orgasm that earth-shakingly powerful could actually cause the loss of your eyesight.

The good news is that it’s extremely unlikely.

Vigorous, intense sex can cause the bursting of blood vessels (as can any extreme activity) and if that happens in your eye, it can cause sight damage.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

It recently happened to a 29 year old man from Southampton, who didn’t notice that there was anything wrong until the morning after, and then went to the doctor the next morning. According to The Sun he had experienced a hemorrhage in his eye, caused by a pressure build-up during sex.

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The good news is, it’s easy to avoid this happening to you. The major reason it happens is because you’re holding your breath. Sometimes we do this by accident because the sensations are so intense, and sometimes we do it because the reduction of oxygen during the approach to orgasm can make the sensation more intense.

However the whole oxygen restriction for more intense orgasms thing is actually not a brilliant idea, because it can lead to you passing out, and if you’re using any specific means to restrict the flow of oxygen it can even result in suffocation.

Or, in some cases, a pressure build-up which causes a hemorrhage which in turn, causes blindness. The good news in the case of the man from Southampton (and most people who experience this) is that a burst blood vessel isn’t forever, and after it healed he could see just fine again.

So in answer to the original question: yes. An orgasm can cause you to go blind, but it’s really, really unlikely, almost impossible to be permanent, and if you’re really worried about it, just make sure that you don’t forget to breath.